FEC approves six-week NYSC camp, graduation replaces passing-out parade

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the extension of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp from three weeks to six weeks and replaced the traditional Passing Out Parade with a graduation ceremony as part of a comprehensive reform of the scheme.

The development was disclosed by the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, in a statement posted on his official X account on Monday.

The reforms form part of a broad package approved by the council to reposition the NYSC as a skills-driven, productivity-focused, and youth-empowering institution.

What they are saying

According to Olawande, the redesigned six-week orientation programme will place greater emphasis on leadership development, entrepreneurship, digital skills, and specialised career streams to equip corps members with practical skills for employment and entrepreneurship.

He added that the traditional Passing Out Parade will be replaced with a graduation ceremony, while corps members will also receive redesigned NYSC uniforms aimed at reflecting professionalism and national pride.

• “I am happy to report that the Federal Executive Council today approved the comprehensive reform of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the first holistic review of the Scheme in its 53-year history,” the statement read in part.
• It added, “A redesigned six-week orientation programme with stronger focus on leadership, entrepreneurship, digital skills and specialised career streams.
• “A new graduation ceremony to replace Passing Out Parade, and redesigned NYSC uniform that reflect professionalism and national pride.”

The Minister further noted that the reforms introduce a technology-driven call-up process to improve mobilisation and a risk-sensitive deployment system to enhance corps members’ safety. They also provide for skills-based primary assignments, a civilian-led governance structure with military security support, and a national grading system for orientation camps.

Olawande said the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development have been directed to amend the NYSC Act and its regulations to provide the legal framework for implementing the reforms.

Backstory

The approval follows the work of a reform committee inaugurated in September 2025 to undertake the first comprehensive review of the NYSC since the scheme was established in 1973.

• The committee was mandated to review the NYSC’s legal and policy framework and recommend amendments to its Act and operational guidelines.
• It also examined funding, monitoring mechanisms, and stakeholder recommendations to improve the scheme.

At the inauguration, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, proposed the establishment of Teachers’ Corps and Medical Corps to strengthen education and healthcare delivery in underserved rural communities.

The review was initiated following concerns over corps members’ safety, infrastructure deficits, and the need to make the scheme more relevant to Nigeria’s evolving socio-economic needs.

What you should know

The NYSC remains a key source of ad hoc personnel for Nigeria’s elections, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) planning to deploy more than 1.4 million personnel for the 2027 general elections.

• INEC said the figure is higher than the 1.2 million ad hoc staff deployed during the 2023 elections.
• The commission also pledged to improve insurance, welfare, and security arrangements for corps members engaged in election duties.

Corps members have remained central to election operations since 1999, serving mainly as presiding officers and registration area officers.